Senate Gang of 8 targets House GOP

Big Business, Senate Republicans and Democrats backing immigration reform have a target in their crosshairs: House Republicans.

Senators like John McCain (R-Ariz), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met with tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Intel, and pro reform groups like FWD.us to discuss a coordinated campaign to target more than 100 House Republicans on reforming the nation’s immigration laws when they are at home in their districts over the next month, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

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Graham suggested getting people to target Republicans at town hall meetings. Schumer said he wanted pastors giving sermons about the need for immigration reform.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), his former House colleague, should bring a negotiated immigration compromise to the floor even if it doesn’t have the support of the majority of Republicans, according to sources present.

McCain urged the group to push for the Senate bill by discussing its component parts — but not mentioning the overall bill.

Graham said that there are between 30 and 40 Republicans who are staunchly opposed to the Senate bill — but warned that number cannot grow.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) took a hard line, saying any bill must contain family reunification and a pathway to citizenship.

Schumer, according to people familiar with the meeting, said the group will meet in 10 days to review what large corporations are doing to help put pressure on these Republicans.

It’s not too often that you hear about Republicans and Democrats privately discussing targeting each other to support legislation, but it’s clear that senators see their comprehensive immigration reform effort hitting stiff resistance in the House. McCain suggested to the group that they’re losing the messaging battle to immigration opponents.

“In an effort to grow support in the House for immigration reform, members of the Gang of Eight met with supporters of immigration reform and discussed how to spread the word, both why this is good for members’ districts and the country,” said Matt House, a spokesman for Schumer.

The discussion was pointed and detailed.

Schumer, who has spearheaded immigration reform, told the business groups that they need to join with Senate Democrats and Republicans to convince a majority of House Republicans to approach Boehner and ask him to abandon his pledge to follow the Hastert Rule — a standard that would prohibit him from bringing a bill to the floor that doesn’t have the support of the majority of House Republicans. Schumer said he hopes these Republicans would tell Boehner that they “hope yes, vote no” — meaning they want the bill to pass, but can’t be seen supporting it.

Schumer also discussed having pastors give sermons across congressional districts in August about the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Schumer said that Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) needs to hear from agriculture interests in his district about the need for a comprehensive bill.

Schumer has done his research. He named specific House Republicans and the political dynamics in their district that might push them toward supporting immigration reform.

He mentioned Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), who has Disney in his district. He talked about Rep. Frank LoBiando, who has the New Jersey Shore tourism industry. Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), a close ally of Boehner, has universities and agriculture. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), who is Mormon, might feel pressure from the Mormon church.

Also in attendance were Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) from the Gang of Eight. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) did not attend the meeting. Alex Conant, his spokesman, said “We have a badly broken immigration system that is in dire need of reform, and Sen. Rubio worked hard to produce and pass the best proposal possible in a Democrat-controlled Senate. The Senate’s work has created an important opportunity for the House to advance reform further, but they should be given deference to decide their own way forward.”

The GOP leadership of the House believes that nearly all Republicans oppose the Senate bill.

”The House will not take up the Senate immigration bill. There are many issues related to immigration reform on which the business community, religious groups and House Republicans can find common ground, but advocating for the House consideration of the Senate immigration bill is simply a waste of their time and resources,” one House GOP leadership aide said.